Kootenai River in NW Montana, near Canadian Border

Kootenai River in NW Montana, near Canadian Border
photo by Gene Tunick of Eureka, Montana

Monday, October 22, 2012

Tip O'Day #405 - Judge a Book by its...

Guest blogger Karla Darcy says “Cover Me.”

In the self-publishing world, I’m a newbie and at times I’m overwhelmed with the steep learning curve. Writers love to write. I do but I’m not very good at the business end of my career. I’d been traditionally published but wanted the control of self-publishing. What control? There are so many parts of this that I feel I have no control over. I need back up. I need someone to cover me.

Covers, you say? My biggest challenge was getting covers. I began by spending several days looking at the lists on Amazon and studying the covers. The first thing that surprised me was how much of a gut reaction I had to each one. I realized that for me I would know instantly if I would consider buying a book based on its cover alone. I had always believed that you couldn’t tell a book by its cover. In my case, when faced with plunking down money for a book, I definitely was deciding based on what I saw.

The second thing I noticed was that I wanted to know instantly by looking at the cover what the genre was. I don’t want to have to guess. For years romance writers have been criticized for having the “clinch” or “bodice ripper” covers. Frankly I find that reassuring. I want to know that it’s a romance. If it’s a thriller or a mystery, I want to have some sense of danger or suspense when I look at a book.

Third, for me personally I like a simple cover, not too busy and I want to be able to see the writer’s name without the use of a magnifying glass. I like bright colors. When you’re buying a book off the Internet the covers are about the size of a postage stamp in many places. I want to still be able to see the writer’s name and the title of the book.

So now it was time for me to get covers. Unfortunately the artistic gene is totally absent in my DNA. I like my world to be symmetrical. My garden plants are precisely arranged so that one side of the garden matches perfectly with the other side. Four square corners too. My mantel has two candlesticks on either side of a lovely antique clock. Nicely balanced.

So I knew my covers would be disastrous if I designed them. As a starter I would want a kitten on the cover because I love kittens. And naturally it would be in the exact center of the cover.

Enter the expert. Tara O’Shea, tara@fringe-element.net. A friend of my daughter’s, Tara was always creative and artistic. I asked her if she could do my covers. I gave her a vague idea of what I was looking for. Okay this was my idea for the cover of The Five Kisses. I’d have taken this one if she could have moved the kitty into the middle.

Tara talked about branding and other things I had never thought of. So despite the fact I loved this cover I realized I’d have to let Tara do her own thing. The one thing I’ve learned in this journey to publishing is that I can’t learn it all or do it all, so find an expert who can.

The plan was for nine or ten books. Since I was a history major they would all be Regency romances which was a time period full of international intrigue, the Napoleonic wars and the War of 1812. The series would be about a group of men who belonged to Sweet’s Racing Club. Horse mad when they were bachelors but now in their maturity finding women who were unique, independent and not just beautiful but bright and interesting. And I liked the clothes of the Regency period. The underwear wasn’t all that tricky.

Time passed and Tara worked her magic. She had my back and Covered Me. Voila! I had covers. Simple, gorgeous and branded! What fun this was going to be. Now I could actually get back to the writing part of my career.

I’ve launched The Five Kisses and The Masked Heart. My newest releases are The Marriage Wager and The Scandalous Ward. They introduce you to more of the members of Sweet’s and some old friends. The Marriage Wager is one of my favorites because the story is touching and a reader will cheer at the depth of humor and romance in this traditional Regency.

I’m sure I’m not the first or the last to be traumatized by the decision making on cover art. Nobody sees things the same way. For me, the journey to self publishing is one of constant learning. I’ve been blessed with friends who have gone before me and graciously shared their experiences with me. And that’s the reason that I’ve been successful in learning parts of this business. I’m still in the beginning stage but thankfully I’ve got great friends who can cover me. How about you? Who’s watching your back?

Stop by this author's website to see more beautiful covers.

13 comments:

  1. I have these books already, I just haven't had a chance to dig into them yet. Looking forward to it, though!

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    1. Thanks for the blog visit, Kristen. This was a fun one to think about.

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  2. Karla,

    Interesting take on the subject of selecting a cover. I started a similar journey last spring and was immediately overwhelmed with the various styles from which to select. I decided to hold off on the self pub thing for a bit, but I, too, have become ever more mindful of covers.

    Barbara Barrett

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    1. There's so much to learn in this self-publishing journey. I've been blessed with guru who keeps me focused and talks me down off the edge of the cliff when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Hopefully you've got some people to offer support. I'm happy to answer questions but of course I don't know all or even half of the answers.

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  3. Hi, Karla! Tara O'Shea did an outstanding job. I'm like you and would have worked up a collage of favorite holiday-like things--and produced a mish-mash. We should be equipped with an alarm that barks, "Step away from the cover," when we try to tinker.

    I like the Tip O'Day header, which must have been named after my cousin. (Psst: you spelled his last name wrong.)

    I have two of your Regencies in my Kindle but will have to read faster to keep up with your releases.

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    1. It's funny because in traveling this self-published road I've learned to decide what I'm not good at and outsource it to someone who knows. I wish I were creative but that's not my skill. Writing on the good days is. Thanks for the support!

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  4. I think your cover is great! The kitten one is definitely cute, but doesn't quite have the same impact. :)
    I love the idea of being in control of my own business ie self-pub, but then again there are SO many more things to consider. Thanks for the a peek into your cover design.

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    1. I love the kitty picture. I was considering putting it on all my covers but was naturally talked out of it. And yes the control is really a positive for me even though I always seem to be having to make a lot more decisions than I want to.

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  5. Dixon, Thanks so much for inviting me to guest blog. I haven't done these before and so had to do a little more thinking about the business than I usually do. I really enjoy the blog and was pleased to be on it.

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  6. Karla,
    I can't believe you had the courage to self-publish! I am so proud of you and can't wait to read your books. As usual.
    Marian

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    1. The only thing that kept my courage up was the support of the writing community. I couldn't have done it alone. It would be like trying to do a high wire act without a net!

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  7. Definitely multiple learning curves involved in self-publishing and coming up with good covers is one of them. I think I've gotten better at this. Agree with all your points. They need to be bright, simple, lettering easy to read, and fit with the genre. Great post, Karla!

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    1. Like everything else in the self-publishing journey, it really pays to do your research and ask friends for advice. Diane Capri and the wanas and my RWA chapter STAR has been my inspiration and support.

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